Chapter 16 #2
I waited for the three women to clear the room before returning my attention to Jenna, who got up from the couch and squared up with me.
“So you are a Mutie,” she remarked.
“Hmm…” I said with a cold stare in return. “Where’s your backup?”
“I didn’t bring any backup.”
“Well that seems stupid.”
“Not as stupid as putting your face and tits on a snap story with stolen money.”
I resisted the urge to grin. “Monica had nothing to do with that.”
“She was at the bar you and your other lady friend had an altercation in, and she obviously knows something, which makes her an accessory.”
“The bar…” I nodded once, then paced away from her, blading my body to look at her sideways over my shoulder. “So that’s how you tracked us?”
Jenna shrugged. “I connected the dots. The rest came as a favor.”
“So answer the question. Why are you here? I don’t see you breaking out the handcuffs—useless as they would be.”
“Because I need to know if there’s any footage of the warehouse you hit.”
I smirked incredulously. “You expect me to incriminate myself? That’s… not a good plan.”
Jenna’s lips parted with a long breath, her eyes not leaving mine as she took a step closer. “Look, I don’t know who you are, but you’re obviously someone that the Feds are afraid of. That’s why I came alone.”
The realization hit me along with a sardonic chuckle.
“You’re running a rogue investigation…” I mused. “You’re not going to try to arrest me, are you?”
“Not yet,” Jenna sassed as she looked around at the apartment. “Nice place.”
“Thanks. It’s not mine.”
“Well, I figured that. There’s no way you came up with all this fun decor.”
“Why, because I’m a man?”
“No, because that goth girl you sent to the back obviously lives here. She’s a Mutie too, isn’t she?”
“Let’s try to stay on track here,” I said with a wide eyed sigh, running my fingers through my hair. “You’re not here to arrest me, and you’re not here to shoot me. Why do you want the footage?”
Jenna held onto herself, clutching her upper arms, her lovely cleavage squishing together more than enough for me to notice, turning her left toe inward, touching at the knees.
“The evidence on those tapes can prove that the owner of that warehouse is involved in multiple forms of trafficking,” Jenna explained.
“They’re not tapes. They’re digital recorder boxes.”
“Then you do have them?” the detective quickly rushed toward me with incited eyes.
“And if I do, what do I get out of it?”
Jenna recoiled with a frown. “Doing the right thing’s not enough for you?”
“No, it isn’t,” I responded, going to the couch to plop down on it and outstretch my arms on either side of me. “And it isn’t enough for you either.”
Jenna’s eyes filled with offense as fiery as her red hair; she put her hands on her hips with elbows out. “And what’s that supposed to mean?”
“Let’s not insult each other’s intelligence, Detective,” I casually noodled the leather of the headrest with my finger, staring off toward the kitchen before making eye contact with a stern glare.
“And let’s sure as shit tell the truth, unless you want that stuffed animal coming after you again.
Suzy was such a stupid name… What is this, the 1950s? ”
“Suzette is still cute…” Jenna argued.
“You’re doubling down?” I blurted out in disbelief.
“It’s better than Susan…” she held her hands up in acquiescing defense. “Don’t worry, I’m not gonna fib.”
“A fib is a lie with softer wording. Avoid both,” I commanded. “Now for you to come after me under the table means you’ve got skin in the game. This is personal. I know what I want out of this, but what do you want?”
We held a tense stare for a long minute, and then Jenna crossed her arms and looked away. “I don’t owe you my life’s story, I just want Alistair Gaines behind bars.”
“Revenge. Got it.”
“I didn’t say that.”
“You referred to him by name and came all this way; that’s enough for me,” I said with a beleaguered sigh while standing up. “We’re leaving.”
Jenna rushed forward with a face full of protest. “You can’t just walk away after—”
“I said we’re leaving,” I asserted while going to the coat rack to grab my trench. “If you’re tracking me, then they’re tracking you. The safest place to be is wherever I am, and I’m going home.”
Jenna turned her head skeptically, glancing to the hallway where Cassie, Mimi, and Monica were all watching from the threshold of the bedroom door. “Wait, so are you giving me the footage or aren’t you?”
I put on my trench-coat and straightened out the chest flaps with a quick whip of the hemming. “You’re gonna give me something first, and then I’ll give you what you want.”
Jenna frowned. “Obstruction of justice and extortion? You’re just racking it up, aren’t you?”
“The law doesn’t mean jack shit to me. Only people,” I retorted before snapping my fingers loudly toward the hallway. “Come on, ladies! We’re leaving! You too, Mimi!”
All three came skipping across the apartment to come to me, hiding behind my back while I stared expectantly at the detective, who was standing in the center of the pink wooly carpet.
And Mimi had Barry with her.
“You’re bringing the bear-bat?” I bemoaned.
“We can’t just leave him by himself!” Mimi exclaimed before saying sheepishly. “He gets lonely.”
Jenna shook her head. “I’m not getting in a car with that thing.”
“Yes you are,” I stated.
“Great. So now I’m your prisoner?” Jenna questioned with a raised eyebrow.
“Guest,” I enunciated while jingling my keys in my pocket. “Unless you’d rather take your chances alone.”
“She ain’t sittin’ next to me,” Monica groused, arms crossed while looking Jenna up and down. “The bitch can ride shotgun.”
I nodded with an airy chuckle through my nose, then looked at the detective with an impatiently raised eyebrow. “So what’s it gonna be, Jenna?”